Who Knew?
by AGENT Kuma-chan
Summary: They are the strongest and weakest team, Team Seven. Though separated, memories tie them together. Slight SasuSaku, NaruSaku. Chapter Three: Naruto and Sasuke have deeper bonds than they realize.
1. A smile

**Who Knew?**

_It's the little things in life that make it worthwhile._

**A smile**

Hiding behind her mother, Sakura couldn't understand why everyone ignored the boy. He was sitting on a bench, eating ramen. His blonde hair was a little spiky and his eyes were closed, enjoying the meal. He looked like any other boy, and yet he seemed different. Maybe it was the way he, while looking happy, seemed to have an air of sadness around him. As well, when he opened his striking blue eyes, they looked contemplative, with an air of maturity beyond his years. There was also the fact that his clothes seemed a little dirty and his body a little too thin.

Those were the key differences. They were not the only ones, though. What made him the most noticeable was that he was alone. While everyone had someone (_a parent, a lover, a friend_) he had _no one_. As people walked down the street, even though they went by him, they left a wide berth around him. When they talked, they talked over his head to each other, not a single word directed to him. When they looked around, their eyes slid right over him. They were _ignoring him._

Why? The little girl couldn't understand. She looked around and saw other little boys. They were just like the boy on the bench—young, happy, dirty. They weren't different except they were surrounded by friends and were laughing with people. Yet this blonde boy, who could have fit easily with them, was left out. She saw other mothers glare at the boy, hiding their children from him as if he were some monster out to eat them.

Curious, Sakura took a tentative step towards the boy. Looking back, she saw her mommy talking to someone and Sakura decided to go closer. When she was right in front of the boy, she said, "Hey." The boy seemed surprised, Sakura noticed, before he grinned up at her. Opening his mouth to speak, the boy replied, "Hi." He was looking at her expectantly, waiting for something. Almost like he was testing her. Not sure of what to do, she told him her name.

"Hi, I'm Haruno Sakura."

The boy immediately started to give her a big smile, glowing like the sun. She must have passed his test, for he started to talk to her. "Hi, Sakura-chan! I'm…"

However, when he was about to tell her his name, Sakura's mother noticed where her daughter was. Quickly, she grabbed Sakura's hand and started dragging her away. Looking back at the boy, Sakura noticed how he was gazing sadly at them. He didn't seem surprised, as though he was expecting this. He was a forlorn figure, sitting on a big bench, not a soul near him. She wanted to give him something, something to take away that sad look on his face. So she offered her smile. Nothing much, but the way he immediately brightened up made it worth it. His eyes had an excited look in them, as if they just woke up. His body leaped off the bench and he waved at her. She made a small wave back before turning around and leaving with her memory.

_Later, this incident was forgotten. She would just remember a lonely boy, while he would remember a shy, warm smile and pink locks._

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**A/N: **And this is the start of my one-shot series of Team Seven. Though, this doesn't seem like that good of a story (I should have extended it…)

And this story was inspired by the anime series. In one of the openings/endings songs (don't ask me which one, I don't really watch the series that much any more, I read mostly), there was a scene where the villagers were moving away from Naruto and Sakura was looking behind at him (or past her mother's legs at him). So then the idea came.


	2. Intelligence

**Who Knew**

_Perhaps we are influenced today by what we have forgotten…_

**Intelligence**

The sun shone down brightly as the children of Konoha played. It was warm, but a cool breeze kept it from getting sweltering. In a small park, there were kids pushing each other on swings, tumbling down slides, and chasing each other through the woods. There were peals of laughter when one kid got caught, shouts of anger when two kids collided, tears of pain when a girl tripped over a branch. Here and there children soaked up the sunlight, happy that spring had come at last.

Up on a hill, not too far away from that park, there was a kite. It danced on the wind, moving like an acrobat as it swerved and dived, before it climbed even higher up. In a way, it was like a tightrope walker, a trapeze artist. It would soar on invisible threads, delicately twisting and turning in beautiful patterns that stunned the viewer.

A little boy held the string to the kite, his onyx eyes watching it tumble in unseen winds. He smiled as it played with the sky, teasing and taunting the birds with its aerial maneuvers. It flaunted its flexibility, gracefully dancing to an imaginary song, a ballerina acting out a story. And as the boy watched the private show, he chuckled at its antics, gasped in awe at its courage, held his breathe when it performed dangerous stunts.

While it was just a kite, a simple dark blue kite with his clan's emblem and a thing string that connected it to its user, it was more than that to the boy. It was like a mysterious performer, one that only showed itself when the wind and sky surrounded it.

And unlike everyone and everything else, it only performed for _him_. Not his brother, not his father, just for himself.

The wind blew a little stronger, for a moment making it flutter like a butterfly, making it look fragile and breakable, before the breeze took hold of the kite and made it resemble a hawk. It blew through the sky, strong and powerful, off to the right. The raven-haired boy, not wanting to be left behind, started to run with it, eager to see what would happen next.

Soon the kite was being pulled even harder, tugging the string out of his hands. The running started to become chasing as the boy followed desperately, not wanting to lose the kite. Keeping his eye trained on the sky, he followed it until the wind pushed the kite too much, making it crash into a tree.

While the boy was relieved that he could get it now, he wasn't sure if he could actually pull it free of the kite. The tree it crashed into was a tall one; none of the branches were low enough for him to reach. And the kite was too far for him to use a stick to pull down.

"Do you need help?"

The boy was startled to hear a voice near him, for he thought he was alone. He looked behind him to see a girl. She had pink hair and green eyes, looking at him curiously. She grinned at him and stuck out her hand, "Hi! I'm Sakura!"

He looked at her guardedly. Most girls didn't really offer friendship to him. However, she didn't seem to know him that well, so he replied, "I'm…Sasuke." They shook hands, before she asked again, "Do you need help?"

Sasuke hesitated. Even though he couldn't get the kite himself, he didn't want help. Help was for those who were weak. And his brother wasn't weak and never needed help. However, his desire for the kite outweighed his desire for strength, so he slowly nodded. "Aa."

"Hmm…" she murmured, looking up at the tree. She closed one eye and tilted her head, looking up at the kite's position. Then she slowly walked around the tree, looking for something. Sasuke watched her, wondering what she was doing.

"Here," she held out a stone. He looked at it in surprise, surely she wouldn't want him to damage his kite?

"No, you won't hurt your kite," she smiled reassuringly, as if she read his mind. "Just hit exactly where I say, and the kite will fall."

Sasuke looked at her doubtfully, before taking the stone. "Where?"

Sakura looked up and pointed at a branch, "Right there. Before the lumpy part."

Carefully taking aim, Sasuke hit that part right on, making the branch shake a little. The stone bounced off onto another branch, making that one shake too. Two more bounces and the kite fell freely to the ground, right into Sakura's waiting hands.

"See? The kite's ok," Sakura grinned, giving the kite back.

Sasuke gave a small smile of his own. "You're very smart. Thank you. Come back here tomorrow, and I'll show you my kite."

Sasuke walked away, heading home, leaving a blushing Sakura behind him.

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_Maybe that's why she wanted to be so smart. Maybe that's why he protected her._

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**A/N:**Look! This one is longer than the last chapter! And this is as close to fluff as I will probably get for now.

…I will have to work on that.

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And I know I obsessively described the kite. But I was trying to get across that it was a very special kite to Sasuke.

So special that he subconsciously protects her (while he was still around) because he wanted to pay back that debt.

…

….that doesn't really work, does it…

...JUST GO ALONG WITH IT! I couldn't think of what to put between the two, as I wanted to write something that connected all three of them together before they became a team.

…

Sigh…I updated today because it was a snow day. I had a lot of time to write everything out…and I still didn't write everything out…

Review?


	3. The Dock

_Sometimes there are special places that are important not because of the location, but because of the people there. _

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**Chapter Three**

**Dock**

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Sometimes, when the weather was nice and there was some free time,

(_when he never had to practice to be __**perfect**__ and __he__ could escape their scorn)_

they would meet. Usually, they met at the wooden dock in the evening,

(_where it all started in the sunset one day long ago)_

and then, because they were both young boys, they would fight.

(_The rush of movement, the thrill of exhilaration, it made them feel __**alive**_)

They were just two boys, doing what boys did. What made it unusual were their differences.

One, a young raven-haired boy who came from a prestigious clan,

(_A clan that he never was good enough for and could never be noticed in)_

and the other, a blonde boy, a nobody who didn't know his past

_(didn't have anyone, didn't know anyone, didn't have a home_).

They don't remember how long they've been meeting like this, or even why they meet, but they do know that they need to. They don't know each other's name,

_(practically strangers, just faces that they recognize and voices they hear)_

but they know that this is important to them.

So the onyx-eyed boy sneaks out when he can, leaving the compound

_(leaving his overbearing father, leaving his weakness and frailty behind) _

and the blue-eyed boy tries to not let others know he has someone to meet

_(not wanting the other boy to know who __he__**is**__ and __leave__ him __**too**_

They aren't really friends, for they don't try to make each other happy.

(_If they thought about it, they would call themselves rivals, for that's what it felt like_)

What they do, though, is fight each other. Small matches, but it is something that—

_(Releases their pent up anger, channels their loneliness, gets rid of their sorrows)_

—compares how much they've improved since last time.

It allows the Uchiha, the younger heir, practice when his brother won't train him

(_sometimes, he wishes this boy was his __**brother**__, a person that he could meet more often)_

and gives the Kyuubi-vessel, the orphaned boy, someone to play with, talk to

(_someone who will acknowledge him; someone who makes him feel __**needed**_

and they are connected in this small way. They won't admit it, of course,

(_a smirk, a taunt, an angry yell, a glare, a snort, a grin, a small smile)_

but they are connected.

_Permanently. _

They are almost like brothers. Almost.

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_That feeling disappears for a while, when they stop meeting. Then, all of a sudden, it returns a few years later, making Naruto try harder and Sasuke run further. _

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**A/N:** Did you guys understand this one? I was trying out a new style (I really wanted to do it, but I think I failed at it). And I hope the ending is understandable.

Review!


	4. Hospital

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_**Chapter 4**_

_**Hospital**_

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When he woke up, he decided that he hated white immediately. All he could see was white. His blanket was white, the walls were white, everything around him was white. That wasn't all that he observed. He could smell the disinfect in the air, could hear the steady beep of the monitor as it counted his heartbeat, and the faint _skritch-scratch_ of someone writing down notes.

Turning his small head, the pale boy noticed that there was someone else in the room. A young girl, with white clothes and a notepad, who was looking at the machines around him. Realizing that he was looking at her, she gave him a small, reassuring smile, before leaving the room.

The boy watched the door close, before he closed his eyes for a moment.

_And suddenly, he saw the red moons and the pouring blood that never seemed to end_

He quickly snapped his dark eyes open, remembering why he was in this place. His brother, his Itachi nee-chan, his _amazingbutneverthere_ traitorous sibling, killed everyone.

_And the bodies—the bodies that were everywhere and oh god, was that his parents?_

Killed his mom. Killed his dad. Killed his cousins, his friends, his family. Leaving him alone.

_Alone. In an empty street, where the sun stopped shining and darkness took over._

And all he could do was run. Run like the little, scared, _frightened_ boy he was. Flee like the _weak__**terrified**__confused_ child he was.

He frowned at that. Now, he couldn't be weak any more. He had to be strong now. He had to avenge his mother, his father, his entire clan.

He had to kill his brother—no, that **evil** man who destroyed his—their—life.

So Sasuke cast aside his childish side. His old self,

(_and with it went the memories of the grinning boy and the clever girl_)

his weak self, had to be destroyed and replaced with a stronger person. Someone who could destroy Itachi.

For the moment, though, he had to rest. Trying to force his turmoil-filled mind to stop, he looked out the window and saw the Sakura trees outside. Their blooms were slowly dying away, but still gave him a sense of peace.

Slowly, his eyes dropped and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

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_Even later, the blossoms, and the girl named after them, had a calming, healing effect on him. A soothing feeling, stopping the raging anger inside, if just for a moment. _

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A/N: ….at least I can begin at the series now! ….Yeah. This one is horrible. I began wanting to write about how Sasuke hated hospitals, but then had no idea how to end it. And if you don't get why I put that ending, I was referring to the Forest of Death and the curse mark. (Sakura Hug Cursed Sasuke = Mark Leaving)

Sorry if it doesn't seem that good. At least I updated! And I'll make the next chapters longer, promise!


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